July 2013 – CAMBRIDGE, MA – In completion of its participation in Ales for ALS, a unique craft brewery-based fundraising initiative created to accelerate drug development for ALS patients today, Marble Brewing is donating $6200 to fund research at the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI). ALS TDI is a nonprofit biotechnology research institute dedicated to the discovery and development of effective treatments and a cure for ALS, also known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease.”

Marble Brewing’s $6200 donation was the result of selling 50 15.5 gallon kegs of their “Iron Horse Double IPA” made from a special blend of experimental hops donated by B.T. Loftus Ranches and Hopunion.

“The hop character of our Iron Horse Double IPA was truly impressive. What a winning combination, brewing great beer and funding research for ALS treatment. I can’t wait to do this again next year,” says Ted Rice, Brewmaster and Co-Founder of Marble Brewery.

“The $6200 that Marble Brewery’s patrons helped it raise goes directly toward the development of effective treatments for ALS. The entire brewery staff and all those who hoisted a pint as part of the Ales for ALS program at Marble Brewery have brought us closer to our goal to end ALS,” says Steve Perrin, Ph.D., CEO and CSO of ALS TDI.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to paralysis, due to the death of motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain. There is no known cure for the disease. About 5,000 people in the US are diagnosed with ALS each year; the incidence is similar to multiple sclerosis. However, with no effective treatment, the average patient survives only two to five years following diagnosis. There are about 30,000 people in the US diagnosed with ALS today. The worldwide population of ALS patients is estimated at 450,000.

About ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI)

The mission of the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) is to develop effective therapeutics that slow or stop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease) as soon as possible for patients today. Focused on meeting this urgent unmet medical need, ALS TDI executes a robust target discovery program, while simultaneously operating the world’s largest efforts to preclinically validate potential therapeutics; including a pipeline of dozens of small molecules, protein biologics, gene therapies and cell-based constructs. The world’s first nonprofit biotech institute, ALS TDI has developed an industrial-scale platform, employs 30 professional scientists and evaluates dozens of potential therapeutics each year. Built by and for patients, the Cambridge, Massachusetts based research institute collaborates with leaders in both academia and industry to accelerate ALS therapeutic development, including Biogen Idec, UCB, the Gladstone Institutes, MDA and RGK Foundation. For more information, please visit us online at www.als.net.